Members of the Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland get a tour of the building that Feed Windsor-Essex will use to provide hot soup to the homeless and food insecure.

By Mander Matharu, president, Rotary Club of Windsor-Roseland, Ontario, Canada

There is something wholesome and satisfying to the soul about a hot bowl of soup and a crusty roll. Rodger Fordham and his team at Feed Windsor-Essex started Soup Shack to provide soul-satisfying hot meals to those in need in the community – whether they’re homeless or dealing with food insecurity. On a given evening, the team feeds up to 130 people.

This December, our club had an opportunity to step in and expand their reach. On 3 December, our past district governor and a member of our club, Aruna Koushik, saw an evening news segment about how a generous donor had made a building available to the Soup Shack team to use as a permanent space. She made some fast calls and we were all inspired to help.

After a quick round of late-night texts to our club treasurer Sue Zanin, I talked with City Councilor Fred Francis and convinced our board to approve the purchase of a new stove, pots, and pans for the building.

Aruna reached out to the journalist who reported the story, who agreed to return for a follow-up report on our club’s donation.  On 11 December, club members met Rodger and his team at the new location, received a tour of the facility, and handed over a check for CAD$3,000 (about US$2,000).

We also made a promise to return. When the Soup Shack opens its new facility, we’ll be there to cut vegetables, make soup, and serve it up. This is the Magic of Rotary!

https://blog.rotary.org/2025/01/21/serving-up-soup-in-windsor-ontario/